Luis Barragán Morfin (
GuadalajaraGuadalajara is the capital city of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality of Guadalajara. The city is located in the central region of the state and in the western-Pacific area of Mexico. With a population of 1,579,174 it is Mexico's second most populous municipality...
, March 9 1902 –
Mexico CityMexico City is the capital city of Mexico. It is the economic, industrial, and cultural center in the country, and the most populous city, with about 8,836,045 inhabitants in 2008...
, November 22 1988) is considered the most important
MexicanThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
architect of the 20th century.
Educated as an engineer, he graduated from the
Escuela Libre de Ingenieros in Guadalajara in 1923 and was self-trained as an architect. After graduation, he travelled extensively through
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
,
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
(where he attended lectures of
Le CorbusierCharles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, who chose to be known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and also painter, who is famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called Modern architecture or the International Style...
), and
MoroccoMorocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country located in North Africa with a population of nearly 32 million and an area just under . Its capital is Rabat, and its largest city is Casablanca. Morocco has a coast on the Atlantic Ocean that reaches past the Strait of Gibraltar into the...
. While in France he became aware of the writings of Ferdinand Bac, a German-French writer, designer and artist who had a huge influence on Barragán's future career. He practiced architecture in Guadalajara from 1927–1936, and in Mexico City thereafter. A unique feature, as can be seen in many of his residential interiors and fountain features, is the typical tall (3.5m [12ft.] or more) coloured walls, which he borrowed and modified from traditional Mexican buildings. He situated many of his designs amidst natural backdrops, such as lava rock outcrops and groves of trees. His understanding of aesthetics allowed him to design urban landmarks as well as furniture and gardens. Although the number of works he completed is not great, they have allowed him to become an influential figure in the world of landscape and architectural design, as well as object design.
Barragán worked for years with little acknowledgement or praise until 1975 when he was honored with a
retrospectiveRetrospective generally means to take a look back at events that already have taken place. For example, the term is used in medicine, describing a look back at a patient's medical history or lifestyle....
at the
Museum of Modern ArtThe Museum of Modern Art is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, USA, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been singularly important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the...
in New York. In 1980, he became the second winner of the
Pritzker PrizeThe Pritzker Architecture Prize is awarded annually by the Hyatt Foundation to honor "a living architect whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision and commitment, which has produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built environment...
. His
house and studioThe Luis Barragán House and Studio, located in the Tacubaya suburb of Mexico City, was the residence of architect Luis Barragán in the years following the Second World War. Built in 1947, the 1162 square meter three-story concrete house and garden reflect Barragán's design style during this period...
, built in 1948 in Mexico City, was listed as a
UNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on 16 November 1945...
World Heritage siteA UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site that is on the list that is maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 state parties which are elected by their General Assembly for a four-year term.A World Heritage Site is a...
in 2004.
Notable projects
In 1945 he created the planification and urbanization plan of the
Jardines del PedregalJardines del Pedregal or simply El Pedregal is an upscale residential colonia in southern Mexico City. Its borders are San Jerónimo Avenue and Ciudad Universitaria at the north, Insurgentes Avenue at the east and Periférico at south and west. Its were the major real estate project undertaken by...
, in 1947 he built his own house and studio in Tacubaya and in 1955 he rebuilt the historical
Convento de las Capuchinas Sacramentari in
TlalpanTlalpan is the largest of the 16 delegaciones into which Mexico's Federal District is divided. Tlalpan is the home of Ajusco, a volcanic mountain peak and National Park, one of the highest mountains in Mexico City....
, all located at the southern part of
Mexico CityMexico City is the capital city of Mexico. It is the economic, industrial, and cultural center in the country, and the most populous city, with about 8,836,045 inhabitants in 2008...
. The same year he drew the plan of the
coloniaColonia may refer to:Places*Colonia , an Arab village destroyed by Hagana forces in April 1948*Colonia del Sacramento, the oldest city in Uruguay and a UNESCO World Heritage site...
Jardines del BosqueThe colonia of Jardines del Bosque is located on the western part of the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. This colonia was planned by the architect Luis Barragán in 1955 in the grounds of what used to be the "Santa Edwviges" woods...
in Guadalajara. In 1957 he started the design of what would become the
Torres de SatéliteThe Torres de Satélite are located in Ciudad Satélite , an high class zone, in the northern part of Naucalpan, Mexico. One of the country's first urban sculptures of great dimensions, had its planning started in 1957 with the ideas of renowned Mexican architect Luis Barragán, painter Jesús Reyes...
in collaboration with the sculptor
Mathias GoeritzMathias Goeritz - August 4, 1990 in Mexico City) was a well-known Mexican painter and sculptor of German origin...
and, in the same year, he designed the fancy and exclusive residential area Las Arboledas, a few kilometers away from
Ciudad SatéliteSatélite is a Greater Mexico City mid-class suburban area located in Naucalpan, State of Mexico. Officially the name corresponds only to the homonym neighbourhood, Ciudad Satélite, founded circa 1957...
. In 1964 he designed, alongside architect Juan Sordo Madaleno, the
Lomas VerdesLomas Verdes is a middle class neighborhood located in the county of Naucalpan de Juárez, in the state of Mexico. The community was developed in the late 1960s and is near Ciudad Satélite Lomas Verdes means "Green Hills" in Spanish, as the terrain had a set of smooth hills covered with green grass...
residential area, also near the Satélite area, inside
Naucalpan, Estado de MéxicoNaucalpan de Juárez is a city and the seat of the municipality called Naucalpan de Juárez in the Mexican state of México.It borders the northwestern part of Distrito Federal, and it is part of the Mexico City Metropolitan Area, which is the second largest Metropolitan Area of the world...
. In 1967 he started what is perhaps his best-known work, the San Cristóbal Estates equestrian development in Mexico City.
Barragán and the Modern Movement
Barragán attended lectures by
Le CorbusierCharles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, who chose to be known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and also painter, who is famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called Modern architecture or the International Style...
on his trip to Europe, and he became influenced by the European modernism of his time. The puristic clean lines so evident in the work he produced in the years since his return to Mexico are evidence of the influence of the Modern movement. Nonetheless, according to Andres Casillas (who worked with Barragán), he eventually became entirely convinced that the house should not be "a machine for living." Opposed to functionalism, Barragán advocated for an 'emotional architecture' claiming that, "Any work of architecture which does not express serenity is a mistake."
Indeed, his houses integrate the garden--with trees, plants, and fountains, in a more intrinsic manner than any of the work of Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, or any other important European architect. In addition, he never got away from using natural materials such as stone or wood in his work. He combined these natural materials with a very creative use of light, enlivening his enchanting creations.
Influence
The work of Luis Barragán is often cited in reference to
minimalistMinimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is stripped down to its most fundamental features. As a specific movement in the arts it is identified with developments in post-World War II Western Art, most strongly with American...
architecture.
John PawsonJohn Pawson is a British designer associated with minimalism.Notable projects by Pawson include London's Cannelle Cake Shop, several Calvin Klein stores,work for Jigsaw the Nový Dvůr Monastery, Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sept-Fons, Czech Republic , Hotel Puerta America, Madrid , Medina House in Tunis,...
, in his book
Minimum, includes images from some of Barragán's projects. Most architects who do minimalistic architecture do not use color, but the ideas of forms and spaces which Barragán pioneered are still there. There have been several essays written by the Pritzker Prize recipient Alvaro Siza in prefaces to books that make reference to the ideas of Barragan as well.
It has also been suggested that Barragán informally consulted
Louis KahnLouis Isadore Kahn was a world-renowned architect of Estonian Jewish origin, based in Philadelphia, United States. After working in various capacities for several companies in Philadelphia, he founded his own atelier in 1935...
on the space between the buildings of the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California. According to that claim, Kahn's original idea was to place a garden between the buildings; however, Barragán reputedly suggested that an open plaza, with only a water feature in between, would better reflect the spirit of the location. This area, possibly designed with Barragán's advice in mind, is arguably the most impressive aspect of the building complex.
Barragán's influence can also be seen in the work of many of Mexico's contemporary architects, such as
Ricardo LegorretaRicardo Legorreta Vilchis is a Mexican architect. He was born in Mexico City on May 7, 1931. He studied architecture at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. He was awarded the prestigeous UIA Gold Medal in 1999....
.
Legacy
After his death in 1988, two non-profit organizations were created to help manage Barragán's legacy.
Casa Luis Barragán was Barragán's former private residence. It is now a museum which celebrates Barragán, and also serves as a conduit between scholars and architects interested in visiting other Barragán buildings in Mexico, including Capilla de las Capuchinas and Casa Prieto López. As noted previously, UNESCO added the Casa Luis Barragán to its World Heritage List in 2004.
The Barragán Foundation is a non-profit organization based in
SwitzerlandSwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
which functions as a Barragán archive as well his official Estate. They own the complete rights to "the name and oeuvre" of Luis Barragán, as well as Armando Salas Portugal's photographs involving Barragán and his work. The U.S. copyright representative for The Barragán Foundation is the
Artists Rights SocietyArtists Rights Society is a copyright, licensing, and monitoring organization for visual artists in the United States. Founded in 1987, ARS represents the intellectual property rights interests of over 50,000 visual artists and estates of visual artists from around the world .- Member Artists &...
.
Important Works
- Las Arboledas / North of Mexico City (1955–1961)
- House for the architect / Barragán House, Mexico City (1947–48)
- Jardines del Pedregal
Jardines del Pedregal or simply El Pedregal is an upscale residential colonia in southern Mexico City. Its borders are San Jerónimo Avenue and Ciudad Universitaria at the north, Insurgentes Avenue at the east and Periférico at south and west. Its were the major real estate project undertaken by...
Subdivision, Mexico City (1945–53)
- Tlalpan Chapel, Tlalpan, Mexico City (1954–60)
- Gálvez House, Mexico City (1955)
- Jardines del Bosque
The colonia of Jardines del Bosque is located on the western part of the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. This colonia was planned by the architect Luis Barragán in 1955 in the grounds of what used to be the "Santa Edwviges" woods...
Subdivision, Guadalajara (1955–58)
- Torres de Satélite
The Torres de Satélite are located in Ciudad Satélite , an high class zone, in the northern part of Naucalpan, Mexico. One of the country's first urban sculptures of great dimensions, had its planning started in 1957 with the ideas of renowned Mexican architect Luis Barragán, painter Jesús Reyes...
, Mexico City (1957–58), in collaboration with Mathias GoeritzMathias Goeritz - August 4, 1990 in Mexico City) was a well-known Mexican painter and sculptor of German origin...
- Cuadra San Cristóbal, Los Clubes, Mexico City (1966–68)
- Gilardi House, Mexico City (1975–77)
External links